These are Days

In her candid (read: crazy) interview with Matt Lauer last week, a six-month pregnant Britney Spears described herself as an “emotional wreck.” At last, Britney and I have something in common. Still, despite the fact that she has millions of dollars, a full-time nanny, and an unlimited supply of chewing gum and Cheetos, I can’t help but think that I’m in a better situation. First off, I don’t have paparazzi and national television chronicling and commenting on every unflattering moment of my pregnancy. Even more important, I am married to John and not Kevin Federline. While Kevin has shown a talent for impregnating every woman he spends more than a week with, I can’t imagine that he’s as supportive and nurturing as Britney would like us to believe. I can almost picture him attempting to coax Britney out of an emotional funk with a stirring rendition of his single, PoPoZao.

John, on the other hand, has more subtle ways of cheering me up. On our ride to work yesterday morning the 10,000 Maniacs song “These are Days” came on the radio. We have both had this song on our iPods for some time now, but John informed me that it has recently become one of his favorites. I didn’t really catch on until he asked me what I thought the song was about and I carefully listened to the lyrics:

These are days you’ll remember
Never before and never since, I promise
Will the whole world be warm as this
And as you feel it,
You’ll know it’s true
That you are blessed and lucky
It’s true – that you
Are touched by something
That will grow and bloom in you

For the second time in as many days I was in tears, but this time out of sheer gratitude for the amazing man that is my husband and the baby girl that we have made together. We are, indeed, blessed and lucky.

Third Trimester: Not My Favorite

The 30th week of pregnancy is upon me, and it appears to be more of the same. And by more I mean more heartburn, more weight gain, more swollen feet, more exhaustion, and more emotional instability. Somehow, a shirt that fit just fine last week will today no longer reach my belly button, much less cover the elastic band on my pregnancy pants.

Speaking of belly buttons, mine is hanging onto the very last vestiges of concaveness. It’s almost like it knows that I’m not yet prepared for this pregnancy milestone – the point at which my lifelong innie makes its debut to the world as a proud, flesh-waving outtie. I will forever appreciate my belly button for at least putting up a good fight, unlike my fat, sausage feet. I can still see you down there, you swollen quitters!

First Father's Day

I first saw John’s potential to be a good father over seven years ago when he rescued our new puppy, Rico, from the clutches of an evil gift bag that had ensnared his tiny head. John held Rico and comforted him until he felt safe enough to continue his destruction of my tiny college apartment.

Now, more than ever, I am certain that John will be a great father to our baby girl. His support and enthusiasm have been constant during this tumultuous time in our lives, and I am incredibly grateful to have a partner who is so involved and interested in the process of preparing for parenthood.

In honor of his first Father’s Day, here are the top reasons that John (shown modeling his new Diaper Dude bag above) will be an amazing dad:

He enjoys baby preparation tasks – From researching crib safety to painting the nursery, John has happily immersed himself into the world of baby bouncers and changing tables.

He is patient and supportive – Always even-tempered, he has endured my various pregnancy-related mood swings and shown a knack for putting me back together when I fall apart.

He is loved by animals and children – We’ve never met a child or pet who didn’t instantly adore him.

He has wonderful role models – John and I are both blessed with loving fathers who provide great examples for a first-time dad.

He loves me – My dad often tells me that the best thing a father can do for his child is to love her mother. Happily, we have that one covered.

Troubleshooting, Georgia Power Style

After our power went out Saturday afternoon and stayed out for over 12 hours, we got a crash course in the three steps of troubleshooting from Georgia Power.

Step One: Ask the Obvious
The disgustingly friendly voice recording (I’ll call her Connie) that answered my call to report the outage asked a string of questions and attempted to mimic the response of a real, live person by saying things like, “Oh, I can help you with that.” Connie and I got along great until at the end of her script she asked me to confirm that all the lights were out in my house. I’m sure some idiot customer has called in to Connie to report a power outage that was actually just a blown light bulb, but by the third call I was screaming, “Yes, bitch! All the lights are off in my house!”

Step Two: Wait and See What Happens
Over ten hours and ten degrees later, I sat on the couch in the stifling heat of our home and watched as the Georgia Power truck drove up and down our cul-de-sac street without stopping. “Is your power back on now? No? How ‘bout now? Now...?”

Step Three: Bang on it with a Big Stick
When at last the truck stopped at the power box for our street, my curiosity drove me to the window to see what they would try next. After opening the box I heard one of the four guys ask, “What’s the worst that could happen?” I was too hot and tired to care, so I continued to watch as one of the men pulled out what looked like a giant, metal Q-Tip. The other dudes took a step back and we all held our breath as we waited for the technical wizardry to unfold. Much to my surprise, the entire strategy seemed to revolve around banging on something in the box with the giant Q-Tip tool. To my even greater surprise, it actually worked. Suddenly I felt the glorious breeze of the ceiling fan and was blinded by the flood of lights coming on in my home.

Step Three is rapidly becoming my favorite way to fix broken things, especially after the pump on my outdoor fountain began to work like a charm when I took Nathan’s advice and hit it with a rock. I can’t wait to see what my new parenting book thinks about this approach.

Baby Shower Surprise

My pregnancy has thus far been full of surprises, some good (it’s a girl - yeah!) and some bad (my feet look like fat sausages - bleck!). One of the sweetest surprises was the baby shower that my tennis friends gave me on Saturday, a shower that they cleverly disguised as a post-season cookout.

Our baby girl received some lovely gifts and some sporty gear that will help us mold her into the next teenage tennis phenom. We also got a sneak preview of what she will look like from the Play-Doh renderings created by the guests. The winning entry from Suzanne is to the right.

I love the expression on her face. It says, “Oops - I think I may have pulled out your entire uterus. My bad!”

More photos from the shower

Happy "Day of the Beast"

Dear Baby Girl,

Today is 6/06/06, a day that many have feared and one that I gave no consideration to until I turned the page of my daily Baby Owner’s Manual desk calendar this morning. If it’s the end of the world as we know it, then I feel fine. Judging by the ruckus you’ve been raising in my belly for the past few days and your insatiable desire for chocolate, so do you.

Yesterday I piped in music directly to my belly from headphones for the first time. I’m not sure if you loved it or hated it, but you clearly had strong opinions that you displayed through pronounced kicks, punches, and what was surely a head-butt. You already have eclectic taste in music, favoring “Piano Sonata in C” by Baby Einstein and “Let Go” by Frou Frou. I can’t wait to find out how you react to some random samplings from your father’s iPod. Let’s hope you like the big hits of the 80’s.

Love,
Mom

Pink Persuasion

Our baby girl’s wardrobe went from Little Orphan Annie to Olsen twin quantities over the course of a weekend when a friend generously provided all of his one-year-old daughter’s hand-me-downs. As I explored the contents of the bags of clothing, a distinct theme emerged: Pink.

John and I are both firmly against Pepto-Bismol colored nurseries and pink princess outfits, and our resolve to fight this trend only increased after learning we are having a girl. So, it was with no small amount of trepidation that I caught myself holding up one pink garment after the next and marveling at its cuteness.

Most concerning of all is my affection for this pair of shoes. Not only are they pink, but they are also miniature Ugg boots. I am convinced that adult Ugg boots are the worst fashion trend since leg warmers, but this tiny little version is irresistible. So pink, so fuzzy… what’s not to love?